1. crack the whip - Noun
2. crack the whip - Verb
3. crack the whip - Phrase
crack the whip (third-person singular simple present cracks the whip, present participle cracked the whip, simple past and past participle cracked the whip)
(figuratively) To make harsh demands in a position of leadership.
crack the whip
Alternative form of crack-the-whip
An outdoor children's game in which participants try to maintain hold of hands as random movements by the leader at the head of the line increase the force at the tail, as with the end of a whip.
Any maneuver in a variety of disciplines that mimics the motion of the tail of a whip.
Source: en.wiktionary.orgcrack-the-whip
If in order to keep the wheels turning you have to deafen ears with propaganda, crack the whip of Terror, and keep pushing people around, then you haven't got a machine civilization no matter how numerous and ingenious your machines. Eric Hoffer